1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support for an outboard motor mounted upon a boat being transported by a trailer, and more particularly relates to a support of the described type having resilient members for firmly engaging the motor while being minimally affected by the vibratory motion of the motor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the prior art to include a support attached to a trailer to reduce the stress upon the transom of the boat when the boat is transported by a trailer, with the motor remaining mounted upon the transom. It is readily understandable that the substantial weight of an outboard motor will transmit considerable stress to the boat transom as the boat is being transported. Of course, the amount of stress applied to the transom will be directly related to the unevenness of the road or other surface over which the boat and trailer are being transported. To overcome this problem, a support has been used in the prior art to directly connect the trailer to the outboard motor during transportation. In this manner, both the boat and the motor are secured to the trailer and the amount of stress applied to the boat transom is minimized.
The motor supports of the prior art have included a shaft which mounts at one end to the boat trailer and which receives a portion of the outboard motor at the other end. Typically, a bracket is connected to one end of the shaft of such a support and the bracket is mounted directly to a portion of the framework of the trailer. A V-shaped motor bracket is connected to the opposite end of the shaft for reception therein of a portion of the outboard motor. A problem which has existed with the devices of the prior art has been the structural failure of the V-shaped bracket utilized by the support. The portion of the outboard motor supported by these supports is the portion which extends downwardly below the surface of the water when the boat is in the water. The propeller and associated elements are located at the extreme end of this portion of the motor. As a result, the supported portion of the motor represents a relatively long member having substantial weight at its end, which can produce considerable forces against the motor bracket. Prior to the present invention, the motor bracket has been molded from a single material such as cast aluminum or plastic. The inability of such material to absorb, without structural failure, the forces transmitted through the supported portion of the motor has proved to be a significant problem with the supports of the prior art. The present invention provides a motor support which includes a V-shaped motor bracket having internal, resilient members encased by a suitable, resilient material. The V-shaped motor bracket of the present invention is capable of withstanding the considerable forces applied by the supported portion of the motor without structural failure.